Baby On A Bad Day
by Reiji Neko Mitsukai
Summary: Duke and Mallory's little bundle arrives while Mallory is in a bad situation. Fixed... sort of. Broke it up into chapters, at least.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody who was ever on the show. I could have typed the people I do own, but that would take up too much space. I don't own the NFSA (National Figure Skating Association). I don't even know if that's what the name of it is. Maybe it's FSA, or WFSA. Forget it. Point is, I don't own it.

Author's note: Had these edited into chapters years ago, them plumb forgot and didn't get around to it… Thanks to MightyDucks for faving the story and reminding me!

_Chapter 1 _

Veranda, in jaguar form, crept closer to Chameleon through the darkness of the shadows. '_Fool,'_ she thought. '_He's got his guard down, that's like saying "Please Veranda, pounce on me."' _Veranda stopped and crouched on her hind legs. With a sudden swiftness, she pounced and landed on Chameleon's back with a roar. Chameleon fell with a yelp. Veranda jumped off of him, dodging the laser blasts that were flying towards her. She resumed her place next to Nosedive, watching for any other chances for her to pounce.

"Nice hit, Veranda," said Nosedive as he took a shot at Chameleon.

Veranda attempted to purr, but she was too busy trying to dodge laser blasts. One particular blast made her jump away from Nosedive. When she turned around, she saw the laser blast heading straight towards Nosedive's head. Nosedive didn't see it; he was too busy aiming a shot at Chameleon.

"NOSEDIVE, LOOK OUT!"

Without thinking, she ran and jumped right in front of the laser's path. Nosedive saw a black blur pass his eyes and felt something furry brush against his face. The scream/roar he heard was unmistakable.

"ROAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"VERANDA!" He watched as she landed with a heavy thump, shoulder bleeding from the blast she took for him. Emerald took off and swooped down, scooping up Veranda and lifting her to safety. She carried her behind the rest of the team. Nosedive turned to Siege, who shot the blast. Nosedive stared at him with eyes burning with rage.

"YOU!"

With that, he charged at him, knocking him to the ground. To everyone's surprise, Nosedive grabbed Siege's throat, and slamming his head into the floor.

"GET HIM OFF ME!"

Chameleon attempted to help Siege, but the second he got close, he was looking down the barrel of Nosedive's loaded Pucklauncher. They stood there for a second, Siege down on the ground, with one of Nosedive's hands on his throat, while the other was pointing the Pucklauncher at Chameleon's head. There was a small buzzing noise as the Pucklauncher activated, ready to fire. Chameleon fell backwards, crawling away like a bug.

Nosedive calmly moved the Pucklauncher away from Chameleon and pointing right at Siege's head. "You're getting off this time, but if this happens again, you won't be so lucky." With that, Nosedive holstered the Pucklauncher and walked away. Siege, Wraith, and Chameleon teleported out.

-

Back in the pond, Mallory was having a nap. But, with the nap, came a nightmare. The team had returned to puckworld. Mallory was walking past an ally when her father appeared.

"Mallory?"

"Dad?"

They hugged each other. "I thought you were killed in the bombing," said her father.

"I joined the resistance. Dragaunus and his henchmen are back in the Dimetional Limbo, where they belong," Mallory heard footsteps behind her. Her father froze. He pulled out his gun.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Mallory, don't move. Duke L'orange is behind you with a child,"

"So?"

"He could have killed the parents!"

"I am one of the parents! Dad, I need to tell you…"

"Give my Granddaughter…"

"Dad, just shut up a second and listen to me! I'm not a McMallard anymore!"

"What? If you're not a McMallard, what are you?"

"I'm a L'orange now."

"What? Can this be true?"

"Yes. The father of your granddaughter is Duke L'orange,"

"I don't believe this. He's a thief! Th most notorious one at that! Why HIM?"

"Because I love him! He died twice protecting me!"

"Would be better if he was dead! I don't want to see my daughter slaving away to a thief, doing all the housework,"

Duke couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Now wait just a minute there-"

"Quiet thief! This does not concern you!"

"If it concerns my wife and my child, it sure does! I would never-"

"I said silence! No one wants to hear from you-"

"I do!" argued Mallory. "He's saved me more times than you have! **I **decided to marry him, **I **decided to have his child, and if I have to quit the military because of that choice, so be it!"

"You mean to tell me that you are going to quit the military, because of a thief?"

"If that's what I have to do to stay with Duke. I am not leaving him,"

He raised the gun so it was pointing at Duke's chest, which had his daughter in front of.

"DAD, NO!" Mallory leaped in front of Duke, to protect him. She shut her eyes, waiting for the gunshot. She heard the bang, but she didn't feel the bullet ripping through her. She looked up at Duke, who was trying to calm their crying child. She looked at where her father was standing, and let a small scream. Her father instead of using the bullet to kill Duke, he used it to kill himself. At that second, Mallory woke up screaming.

-

Duke was walking towards Mallory's room when he heard her scream. His mind ran over the possibilities of why she screamed. It's towards the end of her final month. She could be going into labor, or maybe Dragaunus appeared in her room. Maybe she found a rat in her room. He highly doubted the third one, but he took the first two into serious consideration. With panic growing in each step, he sped up to a running pace. "Mallory?!" When he reached her door, he considered getting out his saber, just in case. He decided against it and peeked in. When he saw Mallory sitting up in her bed, he carefully entered. "Mal, are you OK?" He walked up to her bed. "I heard you scream, and-"

He was interrupted when Mallory jumped on him, hugging him. "Calm down Mal, it can't be good for our child when you get all stressed out like this."

"I'm sorry, I jut had a dream that when my dad found out about us, he killed himself,"

"Its alright now. It was only a dream,"

"In my dream, we had a girl,"

"A girl, eh? I wonder if that dream was partially right, because I wouldn't mind if we had a girl,"

"I wouldn't mind either." Mallory said with a small laugh. They finally pried themselves away from each other and Duke put a hand on her shoulder.

"You sure you're all right?" Mallory nodded. "You hungry?" Mallory nodded again. As Duke led her to the kitchen, Waterstar met them halfway.

"Wing wants everyone in the Ready Room. It's mail day,"

"Again?" asked Mallory. Waterstar nodded and headed back to the Ready Room. Duke and Mallory followed her.

Once they were there, the mail was sorted out. Veranda took one look at one of her letters, and immediately started to open it. She read it with wide eyes.

"What is it?" asked Nosedive. "It's a letter from the NFSA. It says I may be able to compete in the next Olympics if I do good enough. They want me to go to Minnesota to try out. They even sent the tickets,"

"How many?"

"Five. It says here that the extra four are for any one that wants to go with,"

Wildwing knew what was coming next.

"Wing, can I go?"

"I don't know, Dive. Do you think you could behave yourself?"

"Yes now can I go?"

"Why doesn't he just call me dad?" mumbled Wildwing. "You can only go if an adult goes too,"

"Alright!"

"Any other volunteers?"

"I might as well go too," said Tanya. "Gotta get out more," she reasoned.

"There are two more spots left,"

"I can keep Tanya company," said Mallory.

For some unknown reason, possibly either a lapse of sanity, or temporary stupidity, both Duke and Wildwing let her go.

"I'll go," said Emerald.

"I don't know about that one," said Sunstar.

"Oh mom can I please go? I promise I won't get in the way and I won't bother anyone and-"

"OK, alright. If Wildwing and your father say it's OK, then you can go. Just don't give them your puppy face,"

Emerald turned to Razorwing. "Can I go, dad?" she asked him, her tail twitching back and forth at a steady pace.

"I suppose, as long as you be careful,"

She turned to Wildwing. "Can I go?"

Wildwing looked into her bright hazel/green eyes. "Alright, but if anything bad happens, give us a call and we'll be there as soon as Arowing can get us there," Emerald beamed and her tail started whipping back and forth at a fast rate.

"When does the plane leave?"

Veranda scanned the letter. "In a week."

-

The night before the trip, Emerald started packing her bags. Sunstar peeked in.

"Don't forget a sweater," she said with a smile.

"Oh, hi mom."

Sunstar walked over to her and sat on her bed. "I talked with Tanya today, she said she would keep and eye on you while you were in Minnesota,"

Emerald pushed her own bangs out of her face. "I'll be OK."

"Why did you want to go anyway?"

Emerald shrugged. "I haven't seen much of the U.S. Besides, if Mallory is going, I might be needed, if you get my drift."

"Oh, so that's your plan. You want to be there in case Mallory starts going into labor."

"Gotta be prepared. Never know when that type of thing will happen. I'm not your average 12 year old."

Sunstar smiled. "Of course not. You're part of a superhero team, your mom and dad are Ducks, and you're one hey of a doctor. And you've made me the happiest mother in any dimension."

Emerald smiled.

"But," Sunstar added. "Even superheroes have bedtimes."

"Aw mom."

"Come on, into bed." Emerald crawled into her bed and pulled up the covers. "Tomorrow," said Sunstar, "I want you to listen to Tanya and take good care of Mallory. Hopefully nothing bad will happen and you won't need to change into an Artica while you're there."

"Mom? Tell me about Cheetora again."

"Well, Cheetora and I were best friends. I met her before I met your father. We met inside a burning ship. Tigor was outside with the rest of the team. I managed to get her and Felina out of the ship. Leea and Neo were already born. Cheetora told me that Felina was probably born the same day as Leea and Neo."

"When did you meet the Ducks?"

"Gosh, that was when Tanya and Wildwing were trying to get married." Sunstar smiled. "Wing didn't have the courage to ask her straight. He typed it up on Drake1. He couldn't talk to her for fifteen minutes without blushing after that." Emerald giggled. "Well, it's time to go to bed."

"Night mom."

"Night Em. Your dad is going to check on you later," Sunstar kissed Emerald on the forehead, then headed out of the room. She turned the lights off Emerald snuggled into her bed and shut her eyes to try to sleep.

Sunstar quietly walked away from Emerald's door. Razorwing met her halfway through the hallway. "Raze, I'm worried. I've heard lots of stories about planes crashing and I'm afraid-"

Razorwing looked at his wife and smiled. He comfortingly stroked her hair. "Sunstar, it's going to be alright. I'm worried too, but I don't let that get in the way. Don't worry. Everything will be alright, everyone will be back in the pond when their trip is over."

"I hope you're right. I don't want Emerald to get hurt, she's our only child."

Razorwing gently hugged her. "She's twelve years old, but she'll be fine, Tanya's going to keep an eye on her. "

-

The next morning, everyone awoke excited and a particular group of five found themselves too excited to think straight. When they were all ready to go, good-byes were said.

"Be careful over there," said Duke. "I don't want my wife or my kid to get hurt."

"I'll be careful," said Mallory, then lightly kissed him on the cheek.

Wildwing and Tanya were standing next to the vehicle bay doors. Wildwing had Leea in his arms, while Tanya had Neo.

"Be careful Tanya, I almost lost you once, I don't want to lose you again."

Tanya kissed him. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Nosedive and Veranda looked at each other. "You excited?" asked Nosedive.

Veranda nodded. "It's hard to believe, just a few years ago I was living in the streets, with no one that cared. Look at me now, I've got a boyfriend that will do anything to protect me, and I actually have a family," she said, holding his hand.

"One of them is actually coming with too," he said, looking at Emerald, who was talking to her parents.

"She's not only my niece, she a good friend too."

Emerald's ear twitched towards where Veranda and Nosedive were standing. She knew they were talking about her, but she pretended she didn't hear them. She continued to listen as her father continued to talk to her.

"We want you to listen to Tanya and be a good girl, alright?"

"Yes dad,"

"That's my girl," he said as he hugged her.

"Did you remember to bring everything? Did you remember a sweater?" asked Sunstar.

Emerald laughed a little. "Yes mom." She picked up her bags.

"Is everyone ready to go?" asked Wildwing. A chorus of "Yes," came from Veranda, Nosedive, Tanya, Mallory, and Emerald.

At the airport, the excited group chatted.

"I hear Minnesota is a friendly state," said Emerald.

"Except for the hunting there," said Veranda.

"I hear that these next few months are the perfect time for-" Tanya was interrupted when an announcement came over the speakers.

"Flight number 47 to Minneapolis now boarding,"

"Well, that's us," said Mallory. Tanya handed the stewardess their tickets and loaded onto the plane. Emerald walked close to Tanya, not wanting to get lost. Once they found their seats, they got settled down in their seats. Tanya had a window seat, with Emerald sitting next to her. Veranda and Nosedive were sitting behind them, Nosedive having the window seat. Mallory was sitting in front of Tanya and Emerald, the seat next to her inhabited by no one. While the plane was taking off, Tanya told Emerald, "When your mom asked me to watch you for her, I was thinking to myself, might as well, Nosedive and Veranda like each other so much they might as well be married."

Emerald attempted to hold in her giggle, but it wasn't quiet enough so that Nosedive and Veranda didn't hear.

"What's so funny up there?" asked Nosedive.

"Nothing," said Emerald, hiding her grin.

When he pilot turned off the seat belt light, Emerald said to Tanya, "Can I visit Mallory? She looks a little lonely up there,"

"Go ahead, I think I will too later."

Emerald unbuckled her seat belt and moved up to the seat next to Mallory. "Hey," she said.

"Hey Em. What brings you up here?"

"Well, I figured you looked a little lonely."

"You figured right," said Mallory with a smile.

"Do you wish Duke was here?" Mallory slowly nodded. "Were you two hoping for a boy or a girl?"

"Well, I'm kinda hoping for a girl, but both Duke and I agreed we would be content if it was either,"

"What are you going to call him or her?"

"We haven't really agreed about a name yet. I think Tiffany would be good, if it was a girl. But f it was a boy," Mallory smiled. "The name Luke comes to mind,"

"Let me guess, Duke agreed with that one."

"I think he liked it. The subject of boy names showed up until I had a dream last week."

"Tell me about it."

"I dreamed that we returned to Puckworld and Duke and I had a girl,"

"So the subject of girl names came up?"

"Yep. We haven't agreed on one yet. If I have my child while we're in Minnesota, I hope I call talk to Duke through com while I'm going through labor."

"Well, Tanya told me the only thing that could keep a message from going through is electrical occurrence in the air."

Mallory looked down at the clouds they were flying over.

"If he was here now, what would you say to him?" asked Emerald.

After a pause, Mallory said, without looking away from the window, "I would tell him that I loved him, and that I was glad he could make it. I might need him on this trip." Emerald kept silent. Still looking out the window, Mallory said "I always imagined myself giving birth in my home or in a hospital." Mallory looked at Emerald. "Either way, my husband would have been at my side, helping me through my time of pain." She continued to look out the window. "But when he's halfway across the country, he won't be there. He'd be back at the Pond, wondering if he has a daughter or son yet. All I really want is to be able to tell Duke when I'm having our child. I waited until the last minute to tell him that I was pregnant. I don't want him to know that his child is born when it's been days since I've been in labor. He needs to know what is happening while we're apart."

Emerald thought for a second. "You could call him with your com right now. You could tell him anything you need to."

Mallory looked out the window for a few seconds, then lifted her head. "Alright, I'll talk to him,"

"Should I go back to my seat?" asked Emerald.

"If you want," replied Mallory. Emerald moved back to her seat and Mallory opened her com.

_To be continued..._

Author's note: Gawd, these are so embarrassing… Tried touching it up way back when I put it in chapters, but I'm beginning to think I need to just scrap it and start all over.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the ducks that were on the show, ever. Let's just leave it at that.

Author's note: Chapter two… It's not getting any better.

_Chapter 2_

Duke was in his room, looking at a picture of him and Mallory in their wedding day, when his com beeped. He expected it to be Wildwing or Razorwing. He was very surprise to hear his wife over his com.

"Hey Duke."

"Mallory! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Emerald said I should call you if I have anything to say to you,"

"I was afraid that you were hurt or in trouble!"

"No, nothing like that. I just called to say I love you, and that I wish you were here now, with us. You never know when our little bundle will arrive."

"Any word from him or her?"

"Other than a few kicks, not much. Itching to get out though, I can tell." After a few seconds of silence, Mallory said "Duke, if I do have the baby while I'm still in Minnesota, I'll try to contact you in any way I can, as soon as I can."

"I hope nothing keeps you from telling me if it's a girl or boy. I'd be content with either, you know."

"I know. But if the dream is right, it's most likely a girl."

"You be careful over there, OK? I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you, you were the one that has died twice."

"OK, yea, you're right. I was the one that died twice. For you."

Mallory smiled. "I'll be calling you once in a while, so I can tell you how our little bundle is doing."

Duke smiled. "I'll be waiting for the call."

"OK."

"Love you, bye."

"Love you too, bye." Duke shut his com with a sigh. He hated not being with his wife when she needed him. His only family was halfway across the country; the rest were dead. He was sure of that. He watched as Dragaunus killed what was left of his biological family. His brother. The last of the Kolan name. His only living relative, before Mallory, anyway. He watched as Dragaunus shot the aircraft his brother was in. he watched as the aircraft crashed, smashing into the ground. It exploded in an array of crimson and orange. He didn't watch as fellow members of the military tried to find the pilot. He already knew, he was dead. He couldn't survive such a blast. The impact alone would have killed him, the explosion would have charred him so bad he would have been unrecognizable. As soon as Mallory has their child, Duke will have more than one family member. That is alive, anyway.

-

When the airplane landed, the girls and Nosedive hailed a few cabs and drove them to a small rental house and they rented it. They stayed there for a day, then the next day Veranda and Nosedive went to the local ice rink so Veranda could practice her figure skating until the tryouts later that day. When they arrived, a man met them at the door. He was wearing a pair of plain slacks, white shirt, and had a pair of glasses on his face. He shook hands with both Nosedive and Veranda and introduced himself as Steve, the owner of the rink. He gave them a small tour, showing them where the changing rooms, the bathrooms, and the basement.

"Emergency supplies are down there, just in case," he told them. He looked at his watch and said "I'm going to be out for just a minute, you think you could handle watching the place?"

"I think we could handle it," said Nosedive.

After he left, Veranda changed into her figure skating outfit and warmed up with a few laps. She just finished a triple axle when Steve returned. Nosedive just turned on the music Veranda chose for her routine, Beethoven's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy". Steve took a seat on the bench next to Nosedive.

"Something special, isn't she?" Steve asked him. Nosedive nodded. "She your girlfriend?" Steve asked.

"Yep. We met about a year ago."

"I remember when I was your age, I had my own sweetheart. She sure has changed though."

"What happened to her?"

"I married her."

"Oh."

"So, do you have any other family?"

"Well, I have my brother, he's a few years older than me. Then there's my sister-in-law, and my niece and nephew. Both of them are a year old. Veranda, she also has a family. Her brother is married to a gal that has four other sisters, and a daughter. None of the sisters are married, though."

"Your brother, he's the team leader, Wildwing, right?"

"Yep. He's probably practicing for the game later this week right about now."

-

Back in California, the team wasn't practicing for the game. They were at the Navy base at the coast, again fighting off Chameleon, Wraith, and Siege. Of course, at the end of the battle, the Saurians disappeared. Just as the Arowing got up in the air, an explosion rocked the aircraft.

"What was that?" asked Wildwing.

"Sensors show a Saurian near a rocket nest," said Canard.

Sunstar looked out the window. "It's Chameleon! He must have changed into something so we wouldn't shoot at him!"

The next rocket blast caused the warning siren to go off. "Right wing has taken 50 damage," reported Skystar. Another rocket blast, this one on the left side of the Arowing. "Right wing 50, Left has taken 30."

"Let's get out of here, before we take any more damage. Full power to thrusters," ordered Wildwing.

When they got back to the Pond, Skystar gave the Arowing a look over.

"Well?" asked Duke.

"Not good. Just the right wing would take a week."

Wildwing frowned. "Hopefully nothing happens in Minnesota."

-

Some time later in the afternoon, Duke received another call from Mallory.

"Duke, it's me."

"Hey sweetheart. How's our little bundle doing?"

"It's been kicking more often. I think that…" Mallory's voice was drowned out for a second by the sound of static. "Mallory? Mallory, what's happening?"

"I-Oh no,"

"What? What happened?"

"Duke, my w…" At that second, the connection went dead.

"Mallory? Mallory?!?" He ran to the Ready Room to find Skystar on Drake1. "Skystar, look up news in Minnesota!"

"Why?"

"Because I think they're in trouble."

Skystar typed up a few commands and looked at the results. "Relax Duke. It's only a small thunderstorm. It should go away in an hour or so."

-

An hour later, Skystar looked again at the updated results. Her knees weakened. Her thoughts raced onto her friends and family in Minnesota. She nearly fell over as she opened her com. "Duke, Wing, oh Drake please be there!"

"We're here, Skystar. What's wrong?" answered Wildwing.

"They've got trouble in Minnesota."

"What kind of trouble?" asked Duke.

"A twister!"

"A WHAT?"

"A TWISTER! THEY'VE GOT A HUGE TORNADO ON THEIR HANDS OVER THERE!"

_To be continued..._

Author's note: Pathetic mini-climax. Ugh.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody who was ever on the show.

Author's note: I can't watch anymore. It's too painful.

_Chapter 3_

In Minnesota, things have gone from bad to worse. Just before Mallory lost her connection with Duke, her water broke. Emerald's tail whipped back and forth worridly. Mallory was going to have her baby within the hour, and they had no way of contacting the team. The phones were dead and their coms didn't work.

"Uh, guys?" said Tanya, who was currently listening to a battery-operated radio.

"What?"

"Does this place have a basement?"

"Don't think so, why?"

"Because a tornado just touched down a few miles from us. It's heading straight for us at 60 MPH,"

Emerald's tail slammed into the ground, then continued to whip back and forth. "Great. Mallory's going into labor, and we have a tornado heading for us. Just perfect."

"And it's the biggest one they've seen in the history of Minnesota."

Emerald's shoulders sagged. "Perfect. We might as well find some way of keeping ourselves to the ground. There's a bathroom towards the middle of the house. Let's go in there."

"Good idea. The plumbing goes in for miles, if we can strap ourselves onto the toilet, that just might work." Tanya agreed, then walked over to Mallory. "You think you could walk most of the way?" Mallory nodded, despite her being in pain. They all made their way to the bathroom.

On the way Emerald stopped and went into a bedroom. She came out again with three belts, and a towel. "Let's go," she said. When they got into the bathroom, Emerald said "Here. We can use the belts to strap ourselves to the toilet." She almost had to shout so Tanya and Mallory could hear her over the wind.

"Are you nuts? That's the worst way to die!" complained Mallory.

They all jumped as they heard the windows breaking in the house from the force of the wind.

"It's good enough for me," Tanya said quickly before taking a belt and crouching next to the toilet. Emerald and Mallory followed. They stretched a large blanket over their heads. Just as they finished, they heard a loud cracking noise. _Crack, crack, CRACK! _

"I think that was the roof," guessed Tanya. She peeked under the blanket, then quickly pulled it back down. "Yep, I was right."

"Here it comes!" announced Mallory, face twisted with pain.

Emerald and Tanya scooted closer to Mallory. "Tanya, I want you to catch the baby when it comes out and quickly wrap it up in this towel," said Emerald as she handed the towel to Tanya.

"I'm ready," said Tanya.

"OK Mal, this is your first time so I want you to push as hard as you can, we need to get it out as soon as possible." Mallory nodded. "Ready, and push!"

To the sound of the walls breaking around them, Mallory started giving birth. She pushed without letting out a scream, then pushed again.

"Come on Mal, you can do it! Push!" With a push, Mallory took a couple of breaths and pushed again.

"I see the head!" reported Tanya.

"OK Mal, we can see the head, you're almost there! Come on, and push!" With another push, Mallory took a few breaths.

"The head is out!" shouted Tanya.

"We have the head! Here come the shoulders, deep breath and PUSH!" Mallory took a deep breath and pushed as hard as she could. She let out a small cry and took a few breaths.

"The shoulders are out!" shouted Tanya.

"OK Mal, one more," Emerald glanced up through a hole in the blanket. "A…" she froze. "Holy… TREE!" Mallory glanced through the hole in the blanket, and she saw a huge tree, flying at them. The sight of the tree flying at them and the pain of giving birth was too much to take. Mallory passed out just as the tree was about to land on them.

-

When the weather started to turn bad, Veranda changed back into her gray shirt and black pants. They were standing next to the basement door with Steve when the lights went out. They went down the steps, only being able to see with the flashlight Steve had with him.

"I was prepared for this," he told them as they descended down the steps. "I was listening to the radio wen they said we were getting an F5,"

"What's and F5?" asked Nosedive.

"That's the most powerful and destructive tornado that is possible." Once they reached the basement, Steve led them to a corner. "This is the safest place to go in this building during a tornado," They took the supplies down there and Steve took the blanket and said "Be careful, his type of tornadoes are very dangerous. They've been known to kill hundreds." Just then, a loud crash was heard and pieces of the wood ceiling fell on them. Three of the pieces hit them squarely on the head. All three of them fell to the ground, unconscious.

-

The scream/shout Skystar let out was heard by everyone in the Pond. Everyone came running into the Ready Room to hear about the tornado.

"What's this on a tornado?" asked Razorwing, again thinking about Emerald in Minnesota.

"There's a… a huge tornado in Minnesota. It just landed on the local ice rink,"

Razorwing almost fell over. "If I know Veranda, she's IN that ice rink!"

Wildwing froze too. "If Veranda's there, Dive will be there too!"

"We've got to do something, we can't just stay here!" cried Sunstar.

"We're not. We're leaving for Minnesota. Canard, Darkfire, watch the kids. The Sisters, Razorwing, Duke and I are taking the Migrator,"

"But that will take days!" complained Duke.

"It's our only choice, and their only way home."

Once all the sisters, Razorwing, Duke, and Wildwing were in the Migrator, they took off for Minnesota. Duke tried everything to keep his mind off Mallory, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. He tried staring out the window and daydreaming. He tried taking a nap. He tried fiddling with his Saber. He just couldn't get his mind off of her. He though about how scared she was, possibly in labor with their child… He was distracted by a hand on his shoulder.

"She's fine, I'm sure of it," said Waterstar.

After staring at his Saber for a few seconds, he said, "Before I lost the connection with Mallory, she sounded like she was panicking."

"What did she say?" asked Firestar.

"Her exact words were 'Duke, my' and that was it. It sounded like she was trying to say something else, something that began with a w."

"That doesn't sound like something to worry about, unless…" Waterstar looked at Firestar with a look that was a mix between terror and worry. Firestar had the same look, meaning she knew what Waterstar was talking about.

"Unless what?"

Firestar looked at him. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

The look on Duke's face was enough of an answer.

Waterstar frowned and said, "We're not sure, but we think she was trying to say her water broke. She could be having the child now."

Duke's shoulder's sagged and he rested his head on his seat.

"Oh no."

"What is it Wing?"

"A traffic jam. It might be almost two days before we get there."

Duke groaned and said to himself, "Why did I let her go?" He tried his com again. No such luck. He could just see what was happening. He could imagine Mallory lying on the ground, giving birth. If a piece of flying debris was to hit her… he covered his eye with his hands. He didn't like the way this was turning out, not one bit.

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody that was on the show.

_Chapter 4_

When Mallory woke up, she saw a starry night sky. She had a monster of a headache and she couldn't remember much. She remembered going into labor, but that was about it. She groaned and tried to sit up, but her back was too weak. She started to fall back down again, but something stopped her.

"Whoa Mal. I don't think you want to lie back down again. Take it easy," Emerald helped her sit back up. Mallory looked around. She saw the tree that was flying towards them. It had landed on the toilet, inches from where her head was laying when she was unconscious. The toilet was shattered.

"It was close," said Emerald. Mallory looked at her. Emerald had changed into her duck form. Even though she had changed her form, she still had little pieces of porcelain stuck in her back and legs. Tears were streaming down her face, but she tried not to show that it hurt as much as it did. "I was behind you when the tree hit," she explained. Mallory was distracted by the sound of a baby crying. She turned to see Tanya sitting on a fallen telephone pole. "Tanya, she's awake," called out Emerald.

Tanya turned to see Mallory sitting up. She walked over to them, carrying something bundled up in the towel. "Congratulations Mallory," said Tanya, handing her the bundle. Mallory took it in her arms and looked to see what it was.

Inside the towel was a dark-tan feathered baby with hair that was red on the top, fading to dark gray on the bottom. The hair was just starting to grow; a little bit was showing. The child opened its eyes, and Mallory saw the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. It's eyes faded from yellow to dark yellow.

"It's a girl," finished Tanya. Mallory let out a sob/laugh and held her new daughter close to her.

They were all startled by the sound of the sirens that came from the Ambulance and Fire truck that came around the corner. A few firemen jumped out of the truck when they saw the three ducks standing/sitting in the debris of what used to be a home.

"Everyone all right?" one of the men asked.

"Mostly, but Emerald needs to get the porcelain out of her back," said Tanya. Emerald stepped out from behind Tanya. Tanya placed a hand on her shoulder.

The fireman gave a small nod and he and another fireman helped Mallory to her feet. "Is that a newborn?" asked one of them, pointing to the child in her arms. Mallory nodded.

"We've set up a hospital shelter not far from here. We'll take you there for any treatments you need." The firemen led them to the Ambulance and helped them in. They were driven to the shelter and they each were given a cot to rest on. A female doctor treated Emerald and another doctor looked at Mallory's daughter. He came back with her in a cleaner towel and said

"She's perfectly fine, although I must admit I've never seen a hair or eye type like she has. What color does the father have?"

"Dark green, and his hair color is dark gray."

"Well, despite the unusual coloring, I'd have to say she's one of the more beautiful newborns that I've seen,"

Mallory nearly blushed. "Well, thank you," The doctor smiled and handed Mallory back her daughter.

-

When Nosedive woke up, he saw nothing but darkness. He had a headache that pounded in his head. At first he tried to remember where he was. Then he remembered about Veranda and Steve. He felt around for a flashlight. He found one, and it didn't work. He heard a moan from his right.

"Steve, you OK?"

"Yea, I'm fine."

Nosedive heard a clicking, then saw Steve's flashlight turn on. Steve pointed it towards the ceiling and it lighted most of the room. Nosedive found Veranda lying next to him. She had one arm next to her face, and she was lying on her side. Nosedive gently shook her shoulder. "Veranda, Veranda," She didn't move. Nosedive felt the slow ache in his heart as worry and dread filled him. He shook her shoulder a little harder. "Veranda, oh Drake no, Veranda!" Nosedive's eyes went warm with unshed tears as he continued to try to wake up Veranda. "For the love of DuCain, please wake up Veranda!"

"Nosedive?" she asked in a weak whisper.

"Yes, oh thank Drake, Veranda, are you OK?"

"Dive," she said in a normal volume. "I can't move my legs."

Nosedive looked down at her legs. "That's because there's stuff on them," he said gently. He carefully removed pieces of wood and returned to her side.

"It hurts to move them," said Veranda.

"Don't worry, I'll get us out of here." He heard the sound of machinery running up above them. Nosedive got up and ran to the base of the steps. "We're down here! We need help!" he shouted.

He was rewarded with the sound of men shouting "Stop the bulldozer! Someone's down there! I heard them!" The rumble of machinery stopped and he heard the sound of men getting ready to move something heavy. He backed away from the staircase. When all the debris was moved away, a fireman came down. Nosedive led them to the spot where Veranda and Steve were. The fireman and Nosedive helped Veranda to her feet and Nosedive carried her outside.

The area was a disaster. Nothing was the same. Nothing was left of the ice skating rink. Pieces of metal and wood had wedged themselves in the cracks that had broken into the ice when the floor was ripped off the ground.

He carefully helped her into the Ambulance and he climbed in with Steve behind him.

When they arrived at the shelter, they were each given a cot to rest on. As Nosedive looked around, he saw Steve in the cot next to him. He didn't know where Veranda went. He looked down the rows of injured or resting people. All the cots were full. Some were out off of theirs and were visiting others. As he looked down the rows, he saw a very familiar redhead and blonde. He got up and ignored the screaming headache. He walked over to them and hoping his sister-in-law was all right.

"Nosedive," said Tanya, a little bit surprised.

"Where's Emerald?" Nosedive asked. He knew that that's the first question Veranda would ask when she got back.

"We saw her walk down that hall with a doctor," said Mallory, pointing to a hallway.

"You all right Mal?"

"Never better. Then again that could be because I had my little girl an hour ago."

"It was a girl? Awesome! So Duke's finally a daddy now, eh?"

Mallory's eyes dropped. "Yea, but I wish I could tell him that."

"Well, the storms over. You could tell him now."

Mallory thought for a second, then opened her com, saying "I hope he doesn't freak out."

-

Duke stared out the window of the Migrator, looking out at the night sky. They had finally gotten out of the first traffic jam, only to run into another one in the next state. They just got out of the second one when Duke's com beeped. He stared at it like it was something that just magically appeared, then rushed to answer it.

"Yea?" Duke's voice was full of hope.

"Duke, it's me,"

Duke suddenly started talking at a fast rate. "Oh thank Drake you're alive! When I heard that there was a tornado I was worried that-"

"Duke, the dream was right."

Duke froze all together. He just sat there with his beak open for a few seconds, then said "Please say you're not kidding."

"I'm not kidding. I had her about an hour ago."

The people around Duke started congratulating him.

"Alright Duke!"

"You go Duke!"

"Congratulations Duke!"

Wildwing had other things on his mind. "Find out who is with her."

Duke understood why Wildwing had given that order. His little brother and his wife were hit by the tornado too, and he was equally worried about them. "Mal, who else is with you?"

"Dive and Tanya, why?"

"Where's Emerald and Veranda?" asked Razorwing.

"Mal, do you know where Emerald and Veranda are?"

Mallory appeared rather nervous. "Um, I don't know where Veranda and Emerald are. You'd have to ask Nosedive on that one"

"It might be a day or two before we get there. You think you could hold out that long?" asked Duke.

"Sure. Tanya's all right, Nosedive's uninjured, and I'm just fine. We don't know about Emerald or Veranda yet, but when we do we'll give you a call," replied Mallory.

"You guys hang in there, alright?"

"We'll do that. Oh, and please try to hurry, because being with my baby jut isn't the same without the you."

"We'll do that." Mallory shut her com and Duke shut his. He shut his eyes while turning his head to look out the window.

"Welcome to the joys of being a father, Duke," said Wildwing.

"But Tanya wasn't halfway across the country when she went into labor."

"True, but it's basically the same thing. You have a child Duke, a daughter that needs both you and Mallory to help her live throughout the years. You'll be able to watch her grow up, and through the good times and bad, she'll know that her daddy will be there for her."

After a few seconds, Skystar piped up. "Well said Wing, well said."

-

As it was nearing dawn, none of the ducks, in either state, slept. In Minnesota, Mallory and Tanya were having a discussion on the subject of childcare when a doctor emerged from the hallway, leading Veranda, who was on crutches, to the room where the cots were set up. He showed her to a cot next to Nosedive. Nosedive was trying to sleep when he saw Veranda walking towards him on crutches. He sat up and watched as she sat n the cot next to him. When the doctor left, Nosedive turned to Veranda.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

"The doctor said I shouldn't walk on my left leg for about a week and a half. What about you? Are you alright?"

"Other than one screaming headache, I'm fine. Did you find out about Mallory yet?"

"Is she OK?"

"Yep. She got a girl."

"Really? Where is it now?"

"Um, in the nursery, I think. Or what ever they had made from what's left of the hospital. I haven't seen the little lady yet, but Mallory's pretty happy about her. Duke can't wait to see them."

"Is Tanya all right?"

"Other than a few cuts and bruises, she's fine."

"Emerald OK?"

"We don't know. Last we saw of her she was walking down the hall you came from."

"What happened to her?"

"Tanya told me she took porcelain shards for Mallory,"

"What about Steve?"

Nosedive looked at Steve, who was snoring in his cot. "That pretty much answers it."

"Is the team coming?"

"Yep, they said it might be a day or two, though." He got up and sat next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I wish Razorwing and Wildwing were here," she said.

Nosedive gently wrapped one arm around her shoulders and leaned his head against hers. "So do I."

-

A few hours later, just as dawn arrived, Emerald appeared from the hall, being pushed on a wheelchair. All heads in the room turned to see the 12-year-old duck entering the room. No one spoke until she was helped onto a cot and the doctor left the room.

"Emerald!" Veranda hobbled over to her as fast as she could. Nosedive went with her to make sure she didn't fall. They sat next to Emerald and Veranda said "Emerald, are you all right?" Veranda gave her a reassuring hug and Emerald let out a weak smile.

Another doctor came up to them and asked "Is her parent or legal guardian in the facility?"

"Um, her parents are on their way here, but I'm her aunt," said Veranda.

The doctor let off a small nod and said "I'm Dr. Hengs, and your niece has had shards of porcelain taken out of her back and legs. Her injuries were more serious then we thought. She had some shards so deep that we had to cut the wound bigger to get them out. We managed to get the shards out and we have stitched the wounds shut, but she is not advised to exercise her legs or her back for a month or so."

"So basically she has to stay in that wheelchair for a month."

"That's another way to put it, yes."

Veranda gave the doctor a small smile. "I'll be sure to tell her parents that. Thanks,"

The doctor smiled a little and walked away. As soon as he disappeared, Veranda's small smile faded and was replaced by a frown. "How can he be so cheerful? He has to have some family here somewhere."

Nosedive placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down Veranda. The only thing that matters now is that we're all alive and that Wing and the others are on their way." He looked around. "You talk with Emerald, keep her company while I tell Tanya and Mallory."

He got up and walked over to where Tanya and Mallory were talking again. "Emerald's back," he said. The upset look on his face told the story.

They got up as fast as they could and walked to the cot that Emerald was sitting on.

"Emerald, are you all right?" Emerald kept silent. She didn't look at them. She just kept her head slightly down and didn't look at any of them.

"She's depressed, just comfort her and help her when she needs it," said Veranda, explaining her behavior.

"What happened?" asked Mallory. "Well, when she took those shards of porcelain, some of the pieces went in so deep the doctors had to cut the holes bigger so they could get them out. They stitched her up and now she has to be in the wheelchair for a month."

None of them looked at all happy. Knowing what they had to do, yet trying to put it off, they told Emerald about how they were. Emerald kept silent throughout all the explanations, but nodded once in while, signaling that she was listening.

When Mallory finished her explanation, Emerald looked at her and said "Can we go see her?"

Everyone was surprised for a second, then Mallory said "Sure, let's go see her."

They helped Emerald into her wheelchair and Tanya wheeled her to the nursery with Mallory, Veranda, and Nosedive. The female doctor working there smiled and asked "L'orange, am I correct?" Mallory nodded and the doctor led them down a corridor and into a room. She led them to a bed in the far right corner. Everyone looked in and smiled.

"Oh Mal, she's beautiful," awed Veranda. The child opened her eyes, and both Veranda and Nosedive awed.

"What's her name?" asked Nosedive.

"We don't know yet, Duke and I haven't really agreed on one."

"Her eyes remind me of a sunrise," said Veranda.

"They remind me of a word in the Ancient Artica language that means 'rising of the sun'," said Emerald.

"What is that word? Maybe we could use it as her name."

"Kolena, that's the word that means rising of the sun."

"I like it. It's different, just like her," said Mallory with a smile.

-

In the Migrator, Duke was getting more tense by the hour. He was always fidgeting, day and night. He couldn't sit still; he was too worried about Mallory and their daughter. Would they still be OK when they got there? What if another tornado hit before they got there? He went through all the "What ifs" he could think of. He couldn't sleep, he promised himself that he wouldn't sleep until both Mallory and his daughter were safe in his arms. He looked out the window and at the ever-presence of the cornfield. There seemed to be no end to it, no end to this vast field. The tan and golden yellow seemed to go on, never ending, never stopping. Just like his love for Mallory. The tan color of the cornfield reminded him of the color of Mallory's feathers… Duke shut his eye to snap himself out of it. From here to Minnesota was nothing but cornfield. There's no way he is going to get his mind off of Mallory now.

When Razorwing's com beeped, everyone jumped. Razorwing rushed to answer it. "Razorwing here,"

"Raze, it's me,"

"Veranda, is everything alright over there?"

"Yea, we're all fine, technically, anyway,"

"What do you mean by technically? Is Emerald alright?"

"Emeralds fine, she's not dead or anything. She just can't walk for a month, that's all."

"She WHAT?"

Veranda visibly cringed. "Calm down Raze, it's nothing serious. She just has around 50 stitches on her legs and back, that's all."

From the background, they heard Nosedive say "Whose being cheerful now?"

"I'm trying to make it sound better than it really is so he doesn't kill me," came Veranda's remark.

"Don't forget to tell them!"

"I won't," she assured him, then spoke to Razorwing. "Dive is begging me to tell you something, but I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"If it's anything related to Mallory, then its probably not. He hasn't slept a wink during the whole trip."

"I hope you guys get here quick, Emeralds awfully depressed having to be stuck in a wheelchair for a month."

"We'll hurry as fast as we can, we're in North Dakota right now, we'll be there soon. Razorwing out." Before Razorwing shut his com, they heard the relieved shouts of their teammates.

_To be continued…_

Author's note: Everyone's out of character. This needs to be shot.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody who was ever on the show.

_Chapter 5_

Around noon, Emerald had fallen asleep, Nosedive and Veranda were talking, and Tanya and Mallory were again having a conversation.

"Why haven't you slept Mallory?" asked Tanya.

"Well, I promised myself that I would not sleep until my daughter and I are safe with Duke."

Just then, eight very familiar people entered the room. Everybody in the large room turned to see who it was.

"WING!"

"DUKE!"

Both Tanya and Mallory jumped up and ran straight into their husband's arms.

Wildwing had changed into his street wear. He knew Tanya didn't want to run into the arms of the team leader. She wanted her husband, Wildwing Flashblade, the man she had fallen in love with.

Duke held Mallory tight. "Oh Mal, I was so worried!" Mallory rested her head on Duke's collarbone, happy now that she was with her beloved husband once again.

Nosedive and Veranda got up to see what all the commotion was.

"Wing, bro, you made it!"

After the couples managed to let go of each other, Duke and Mallory went to the nursery to look at their daughter.

The doctor working there smiled at them and said "I wish I could be as lucky as you two, having your own little girl to raise into the family."

"You'll get your chance too," assured Mallory. The doctor led them into the room. "Just wait until see her," said Mallory. When they reached the bed, Mallory picked up their daughter and held her so Duke could see her. "Here she is."

Duke seemed spell bound by sight of her. "I've never seen eyes like that before," he said.

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

"What are we going to call her?"

"I've been thinking, since she's extraordinary, I thought we should give her an extraordinary name."

"Makes sense. Have you thought of any yet?"

"No, but Emerald did. How does Kolena sound?"

"Where did she get that name?"

"She said that it means 'rising of the sun' in the ancient Artica language."

"Sounds like it fits her perfectly."

"Well? Is that what we're going to call her?"

Duke smiled. "Sounds good to me," he said, pushing back some of Mallory's bangs.

As they left the room, Mallory looked at him, smiled, and said "I always imagined myself getting married to a civilian or an army officer, but not a thief. I never thought that Duke L'orange would be the right man for me."

As they entered the room where the team was waiting, a bunch of "Aws" came from the crowd around them. Sunstar, who was pushing the now awake Emerald in her wheelchair, wheeled Emerald over to have a better look.

"What's her name?" asked Firestar.

"We agreed on the name Kolena," said Mallory.

"Kolena, that's different."

"That's because our little girl is different," said Duke, letting Kolena grab hold of his finger. Kolena opened her eyes and the crowd around them awed again.

"How do you get yellow eyes from green and dark green?" asked Waterstar.

"We don't know. That's why she's different," said Mallory.

They all loaded into the Migrator and began the long trip home. Kolena was put in a bed that was earlier prepared by Firestar and Waterstar towards the back of the Migrator. Duke and Mallory must have been really tired, because they fell asleep, Mallory's head resting on Duke's shoulder and Duke's head resting on hers. Waterstar nudged Firestar and pointed at them. They both unbuckled their seat belts and took a blanket from the closet. They covered up the couple and returned to their seats.

-

A few hours later, they arrived at a rest stop.

"Somebody wake up Mallory and Duke, we're going to get something to eat and then we're going to hit the road again."

Waterstar walked up to Duke. She gently shook his shoulder. "Duke, Mallory, wake up."

"Hmmm?" Duke lifted his head.

"Wake up, we're at a rest stop,"

"Oh, I'm up." he looked at Mallory.

"Mal, wake up," he said, pushing some bangs out of her face. Mallory's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Mal, we're at a rest stop. We're going to get some food if you're hungry."

"I suppose I could use a snack or two," said Mallory. They both lifted the blanket off of them and they checked on Kolena. "I'm not going to leave her in here," said Mallory as she carefully picked her up. Emerald and Veranda stayed in the Migrator while everyone else went inside the rest stop.

It looked more like a gas station, minus the gas pumps. Nosedive was towards the Twinkies section, the Sisters were scattered in the isles, Wildwing and Tanya were at the check out line, Mallory and Duke were at the refrigerated section, and Razorwing was looking at the sodas. No one noticed the two men wearing black ski masks until they shot their guns into the air.

_BANG! BANG! BANG! _

People screamed. Kolena started crying.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!" shouted one of the men, pointing the gun at the crowd. Both of the men turned to the frightened cashier.

"Empty the register," ordered one.

All three froze when they heard a faint buzzing sound. The cashier dropped the bag she was holding and was staring in fright past the robbers. Both the men turned to see the barrels of ten pucklaunchers pointed right at them.

"You just made a big mistake," said Wildwing. Razorwing looked at the cashier. He nudged his head towards the phone on a wall, signaling for her to call the police. She understood and darted out from behind the counter and grabbed the phone. Mallory hid in the isles, not wanting to get too involved. She was helpless with Kolena in her arms.

-

In less than five minutes a few squad cars showed up and police poured out of each one. They surrounded the two men and arrested them. While the police talked with Wildwing and the cashier, Duke looked for Mallory. Mallory was sitting against a wall, trying to calm Kolena down, when she heard footsteps approaching. She kept still. She knew the person was most likely friendly, but she couldn't take any chances with her baby. When she saw that it was Duke, she breathed a sigh of relief. Duke helped her up.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Mallory nodded, holding Kolena close to her, who was still wailing. Duke gave Mallory a small hug to comfort her. "It's alright, the police have the men in custody."

Kolena stopped crying and she moved a little bit trying to get comfortable in the blanket she was wrapped in. They walked to the ring of police and Mallory kept a good hold on Kolena.

When the police were done talking to Wildwing, he gathered up the rest of the team and said, "Let's get out of here before the press shows up." They all got in the Migrator and drove away before the news van showed up.

"What happened in there? We heard gunshots," asked Veranda.

"Some idiots tried robbing the place. We stopped them," said Razorwing.

"Looks like somebody's in a bad mood today," said Firestar.

Razorwing gave her a dirty look.

"That's enough," said Wildwing. "Were all in a bad mood today. It's been a rough week."

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody who was ever on the show.

Author's note: Finally. Last chapter.

_Chapter 6_

They were back in California earlier than they thought they would. It was dark when they reached Anaheim, so there were no traffic jams to slow them down. When they finally pulled into the Pond, it was around midnight.

When Wildwing shut off the Migrator, he rested his head on the headrest of his seat. "Finally."

Every one except Mallory and Duke, who had fallen asleep again, got up and stretched.

"I'm so looking forward to that bed it's not even funny," groaned Nosedive.

Waterstar woke Duke up again. "We're back," she said.

"Good, I've been looking forward to a bed for days," He looked at Mallory. "Could you get Kolena for me? My hands are going to be a little bit full," he said as he picked up Mallory.

"Going to let her sleep?"

"She needs it. She's the one that had to go through all that pain to give me a baby girl." They walked out of the Migrator and into the Pond. Once they reached the Ready Room, Duke said, "Let's see, how are we going to do this?"

"Don't worry about Kolena. I'll find her a place to sleep."

"Thanks," said Duke, shifting the position of his arm so he could get a better grip on Mallory's shoulder.

"She heavy?" asked Waterstar.

"I've carried her before."

Waterstar started walking away. "Goodnight," she called to him.

"Night," he called back. Duke walked into the living room, then got an idea.

When Mallory woke up, she didn't open her eyes at first. She could hear a loud, deep breathy sound. She opened her right eye. She saw the TV and the sofa. When she opened her left eye, she saw a large "field" of maroon fabric. It was then she realized her head was resting on Duke's chest. He had one arm around her shoulders. She moved around just a little bit, trying not to wake up Duke while she got into a more comfortable position. When she moved her head a little, Duke started waking up. Mallory snuggled up closer to him. She looked up at him. He looked down at her. He hugged her shoulders closer and they cuddled.

"Where's Kolena?" asked Mallory, her smile fading.

"Waterstar found her a place to sleep. She'll be fine," assured Duke.

"Still," Mallory got up and Duke followed her. When they entered the kitchen, to their surprise, Tanya was the only one up.

"Morning," she said cheerily.

"Hey," said Mallory as she sat down next to her.

"Don't worry about Kolena. She's in my room, sharing the crib with Leea and Neo."

"Oh," Duke looked at Mallory as if to say, "I told you so."

-

That morning, Nosedive was the last one to wake up. He looked in the fridge, moved some stuff around, then asked Darkblood, who was sitting at the table, "Is there any soda left?"

"Nope," said Darkblood, putting down his coffee mug. "Emerald, Waterstar, Sunstar, and Veranda finished it off."

"Orange juice?"

"Grin, Spiritgem, and Soulgem."

"Milk?"

"Mallory and Duke finished off what was left of it."

"Coffee?"

Darkblood raised his mug. "Last cup," he took a sip. "That is, of course, if you really want some you could make another one,"

Nosedive's shoulders sagged. "I guess I'll go to the store to get some soda."

"Can't."

"Why not?"

"Store's closed, it's Sunday."

"It's Tuesday!"

Darkblood smiled, his cool-gray eyes showing amusement. "Just testin' ya, kid,"

Nosedive rolled his eyes. "Funny funny, ha ha," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Nosedive left the room. Darkblood got up and took his coffee cup with him into the living room. Duke and Mallory were sitting on the loveseat, Wildwing and Tanya were sitting on the other loveseat, Earthstar, Canard, Sunstar and Razorwing were all on one couch, Veranda was in cat form and snoozing on Razorwing's lap, Emerald was in her wheelchair next to Razorwing, Grin and Spiritgem were meditating quietly in a corner, Firestar, Darkfire, Waterstar, and Skystar were all on one couch, Kolena was being held by Duke, Leea and Neo were both being held by their parents, and Soulgem was sitting on the floor, watching a little bit of TV. Darkblood took a spot next to her and they watched the TV together. Waterstar said something to her sister then got up and walked to her room. A few seconds later, a commercial came on the TV. Suddenly, a high pitched, bone-chilling scream came from the hall that Waterstar had just entered that made everyone jump. All the sisters jumped up and ran towards the hall. Razorwing scooped up Veranda and ran too. Everyone that could get up did and ran.

Nobody knew what to expect. A few thoughts ran through, like a bomb exploded in her room and she was standing right next to it, or she had found something terrible in her bed. Everyone was partially relieved when they saw that she wasn't blown apart. Waterstar was on the floor in a dead faint.

-

When she woke up, she found herself in the infirmary, surrounded by Wildwing, Tanya, her sisters, Duke and Mallory.

"Waterstar, you're awake!" said Earthstar.

"Wha-what happened?"

"You screamed and we found you on the floor in a faint."

"Why did you scream?" asked Duke.

Waterstar's reply sent everyone cold chills. Her words gripped their hearts with terror. No one wanted to believe what she said.

"WHAT?" asked Duke, starting to tremble. Mallory held Kolena close. The room was thick with the smell of terror and fear. Tanya held both Leea and Neo tight as terror reflected in her eyes. The sisters nearly fainted themselves.

"It can't be," whispered Mallory. "It can't be!" The terror in the room increased three-fold to pure terror when Waterstar repeated what she saw.

"I saw Kar VonFeath in my room. Kar is back."

_End_

Author's note: Lame, lame, and more LAME. I'll go get the dynamite now.


End file.
